Space Forge has announced a major breakthrough in in-space manufacturing after successfully generating plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, marking the first time a commercial spacecraft has demonstrated this capability.

The achievement positions ForgeStar-1 as the world’s first free-flying commercial semiconductor manufacturing platform in orbit and it follows an earlier milestone that made Space Forge the only organisation in the UK and Europe licensed to conduct manufacturing in space.

The plasma strike confirms that the extreme conditions required for gas-phase crystal growth - a fundamental process in semiconductor production - can now be created and controlled autonomously in low Earth orbit (LEO). Previous research in this area had been limited to experiments aboard the International Space Station.

Joshua Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge, said, “Generating plasma on orbit represents a fundamental shift. It proves that the essential environment for advanced crystal growth can be achieved on a dedicated, commercial satellite - opening the door to a completely new manufacturing frontier.”

Space Forge is focusing on wide- and ultra-wide bandgap materials such as gallium nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium nitride and diamond. These materials are critical for technologies including power electronics, advanced communications, quantum systems, defence platforms and high-performance computing. On Earth, their development is hindered by defects, impurities and thermal instability during growth.

Microgravity offers unique advantages for crystal formation, including the absence of convection, ultra-high vacuum conditions with near-zero nitrogen contamination, and stable thermal environments. These factors could enable the production of semiconductor crystals far cleaner than those grown terrestrially.

The ForgeStar-1 mission will now conduct a series of tests to analyse plasma behaviour in microgravity, with data informing the design of future manufacturing satellites. As the spacecraft enters natural orbital decay, its controlled end-of-life process will be monitored with support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council - a world-first test of safe satellite demise and a step toward reusable, returnable missions.

Space Forge’s long-term vision is to integrate orbital crystal growth with terrestrial processing. Space-grown seeds would be returned to Earth and scaled at the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), creating a hybrid manufacturing model that complements existing supply chains.

The goal is to deliver materials of unprecedented quality, enhancing efficiency and resilience across industries vital to economic and technological progress.

By: DocMemory
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